Good news for people who like to watch a movies that they’ve probably never heard of – this week’s DVD and Blu Ray releases are full of movies they’ve probably never heard of. But that’s what’s so much fun about watching movies, as we get to pick out titles that may not have made it to our local theaters and give them a shot based on nothing but one or two paragraph synopses and/or alluring pictures.
For added fun this week, try covering your eyes and randomly pointing at this list of new DVDs and Blu Rays and see if your luck finally pays off.
Ginger and Rosa
Twixt
Love and Honor
Trance (our review)
Kiss of the Damned
Starbuck
Welcome to the Punch
Pieta
And for your streaming enjoyment, here are some random Netflix “recently added” suggestions:
Playing for Keeps
Derby Dogs
Casting Couch
Now let’s decide which of these fine films we should watch, shall we?
Ginger and Rosa
London, 1962. Two teenage girls – GINGER & ROSA – are inseparable. They skip school together, talk about love, religion and politics and dream of lives bigger than their mothers’ domesticity. But the growing threat of nuclear war casts a shadow over their lives. Ginger (Elle Fanning) is drawn to poetry and protest, while Rosa (Alice Englert) shows Ginger how to smoke cigarettes, kiss boys and pray. Both rebel against their mothers: Rosa’s single mum, Anoushka (Jodhi May), and Ginger’s frustrated painter mother, Natalie (Christina Hendricks). Meanwhile, Ginger’s pacifist father, Roland (Alessandro Nivola) seems a romantic, bohemian figure to the girls. He encourages Ginger’s ‘Ban-the-Bomb’ activism, while Rosa starts to take a very different interest in him. As Ginger’s parents fight and fall apart, Ginger finds emotional sanctuary with a gay couple, both named Mark (Timothy Spall and Oliver Platt), and their American friend, the poet Bella (Annette Bening). Finally, as the Cuban Missile Crisis escalates – and it seems the world itself may come to an end – the lifelong friendship of the two girls is shattered. Ginger clutches at one hope; if she can help save the world from extinction, perhaps she too will survive this moment of personal devastation.
Should You Watch It? Sure, and then write a review about it using only dog GIFs so I’ll have a better idea of what it’s actually about.
Twixt (trailer)
A writer with a career in decline arrives in a small town as part of his book tour and gets caught up in a murder mystery involving a young girl. That night in a dream, he is approached by a mysterious young ghost named V. He’s unsure of her connection to the murder in the town, but is grateful for the story being handed to him. Ultimately he is led to the truth of the story, surprised to find that the ending has more to do with his own life than he could ever have anticipated.
Should You Watch It? Yes, because I believe it’s the same exact story of how “Where’s Waldo?” was written.
[Vince’s Note: I want to see the version of this where Val Kilmer has to read all his lines with two Twix in his mouth.]
Love and Honor
When DALTON JOINER, a young soldier in Vietnam, gets dumped by his hometown girlfriend JANE, he vows to sneak home during the war to win her back. His best buddy, MICKEY WRIGHT, never one to miss out on a wild time, decides to go with him. They must get back to America, change her mind and return to the war without getting caught. The two soldiers end up at the University of Michigan, where they find JANE, now JUNIPER, and her stunning and passionate new friend CANDACE, right in the heart of the counter culture – and the anti-war movement. During one week in July 1969, while the rest of the world focuses on man’s first steps on the moon, Wright and Joiner learn the true meaning of love, honor and commitment.
Should You Watch It? Absolutely. I spoke to several Vietnam veterans who confirmed that they could have just left Vietnam at any time and easily make it back to the U.S. to see friends, before having to make it all the way back to Vietnam.
Trance (our review)
Simon (James McAvoy), a fine art auctioneer, teams up with a criminal gang to steal a Goya painting worth millions of dollars, but after suffering a blow to the head during the heist he awakens to discover he has no memory of where he hid the painting. When physical threats and torture fail to produce answers, the gang’s leader Frank (Vincent Cassel) hires hypnotherapist Elizabeth Lamb (Rosario Dawson) to delve into the darkest recesses of Simon’s psyche. As Elizabeth begins to unravel Simon’s broken subconscious, the lines between truth, suggestion, and deceit begin to blur.
Should You Watch It? Sorry, but the only amnesia film that I’ll ever watch for the rest of my life is Overboard. Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell? YES PLEASE.
Kiss of the Damned
Beautiful vampire Djuna (Josephine de La Baume) tries to resist the advances of the handsome, human screenwriter Paolo (Milo Ventimiglia), but eventually gives in to their passion. When her troublemaker sister Mimi (Roxane Mesquida) unexpectedly comes to visit, Djuna’s love story is threatened, and the whole vampire community becomes endangered.
Should You Watch It? No offense to anyone involved in the making of this film, as it could be the greatest film that any of us will ever see in our lives, but ever since I had to sit through That’s My Boy, anything that stars Milo Ventimiglia gets an automatic pass. Oh, and I’ll throw in the second season of Heroes, too.
Starbuck
STARBUCK stars Patrick Huard as David Wosniak, a 42-year old lovable but perpetual screw up who finally decides to take control of his life. A habitual sperm donor in his youth, he discovers that he’s the biological father of 533 children, 142 of whom are trying to force the fertility clinic to reveal the true identity of the prolific donor code-named Starbuck.
Should You Watch It? Um, isn’t this the same exact plot as the upcoming Vince Vaughn film, Delivery Man? Not like I really care either way.
[Vince’s Note: Delivery Man is actually a remake of Starbuck.]
Welcome to the Punch
Former criminal Jacob Sternwood is forced to return to London from his Icelandic hideaway when his son is involved in a heist gone wrong. This gives detective Max Lewinsky one last chance to catch the man he has always been after. As they face off, they start to uncover a deeper conspiracy they both need to solve in order to survive.
Should You Watch It? Sure! Get this and Trance and make it a James McAvoy week.
Pieta
Winner of the Golden Lion at the 2012 Venice Film Festival, Pieta is the acclaimed film from the celebrated and controversial Korean director Kim Ki-Duk (Bad Guy; Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… And Spring; 3-Iron). In this intense and haunting story, a loan shark living an isolated and lonely existence uses brutality to threaten and collect paybacks from desperate borrowers for his moneylender boss. He proficiently and mercilessly collects the debts without regard to the pain he causes his countless victims. One day, a mysterious woman appears in front of him claiming to be his long-lost mother. After coldly rejecting her at first, he gradually accepts her in his life and decides to quit his cruel job and seek a decent, redemptive life. However, he soon discovers a dark secret stemming from his past and realizes it may be too late to escape the horrific consequences already set in motion from his previous life.
Should You Watch It? I think so. It sounds very fancy and important. Like a brand new Buick.
Playing for Keeps
Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel, Uma Thurman, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Dennis Quaid star in Playing for Keeps, a romantic comedy about a charming, down-on-his luck former soccer star (Butler) who returns home to put his life back together. Looking for a way to rebuild his relationship with his son, he gets roped into coaching the boy’s soccer team. But his attempts to finally become an “adult” are met with hilarious challenges from the attractive “soccer moms” who pursue him at every turn.
Should You Watch It? I can’t remember if this was on my 2012 Worst Movies list or not, because like a USB drive filled with 80s porn, I like to empty my brain and forget all of the bad stuff. But it was not a good movie. However, if you like soccer players and flimsy dialogue, you may actually love it.
Derby Dogs
After his father dies, 12-year-old Ben carries on his dad’s memory by making a soapbox racer as the two of them had planned. With the help of his rag-tag group of friends, Ben secretly enters the local soapbox derby — against his mother’s wishes.
Should You Watch It? It has a dog in a soapbox derby car. YES.
Casting Couch
Desperate to meet new girls, six down-on-their-luck guys come up with the ultimate plan to hook up – cast a fake movie. When tons of hot chicks show up for the audition, it’s a matter of who’s willing to go the farthest to get the part! Packed with enough crude humor and sexy girls for a dozen movies, Casting Couch is a hilarious scam that’s about to get real!
Should You Watch It? If you can, come watch it with Vince and myself at Whiskey Dick’s all-you-can-drink Jager party this weekend. Chicks with at least one nipple showing at the door will get half-off their cover.